Floors on planks. How to properly lay your floorboard

In the construction market, floorboard is a fairly old material. It is used not only in suburban wooden houses or summer cottages. Wooden floors look very good in city apartments too. A floorboard is better than laminate and no worse than parquet.

The difference between a floorboard and parquet or laminate is that it is made of solid wood. On one side, the floorboard has a spike, and on the other - a groove, which allows the boards to be linked together. On the inside of the board there are one or more grooves. This relieves stress on the board and protects against the effects of temperature fluctuations and moisture, such as warpage.

Advantages and disadvantages of floorboards

Advantages:

• Long service life - with proper care, the board can last for more than a dozen years.
• The floors can be easily repaired if necessary.
• Low price.
• Beautiful and unique appearance.
• Environmental safety - boards are made from natural materials.
• High strength and reliability.
• Low thermal conductivity, due to which the floors stay warm for a long time.
• If not varnished, the board has antistatic and anti-allergenic properties.

Flaws:

• Poor insulation.
• Since it is wood, it should not be exposed to prolonged exposure to moisture.
• Without varnish, the surface wears out quickly, so the floorboard must be treated with a paint and varnish coating, which is periodically renewed.
• The board is scratched and dents from something heavy.
• The floorboard is susceptible to burning.
• May rot and be affected by insects and rodents.
• It can swell, dry out, crack.

Floorboard characteristics

They produce boards with a thickness of 1.8 to 4.2 cm, a width of 8.5-1.5 cm, and a length of 90-600 cm.

Hardness the floorboard is determined by the Brinell method, the hardness values ​​are from 1.5 to 7. The higher the number, the greater the hardness. The most commonly used floors are oak (3.7) or larch (3.1). Their strength allows them to withstand any stress. Larch is used in rooms with high humidity: bath, sauna, bathroom. In low-pass rooms, for example, in a nursery or a bedroom, boards of alder or aspen are placed. Coniferous boards (1.5-2) are used for the sub-floor.

Often they admit such a mistake: For durability, buy a thick (40 mm) board, which is expensive, but damp. Apparent savings can then be expensive, since an undried floorboard can warp so much that the screws will fly out.

Materials (edit) share into several varieties. The upper class is distinguished by a flat surface, beautiful pattern. After installation, such floors only need to be coated with paints and varnishes. Boards of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades have a pronounced woody pattern of knots. There is no point in painting wood of the 3rd grade, it is covered only with varnish.

Features of laying floorboards

Buying genital boards, you need to check their compatibility, so that later there will be no problems during installation. A quality board should be free of cracks or chips.

Installation the floorboard is carried out as the final stage in the construction of the premises. Windows should already be inserted, doors installed, walls and floor aligned.

Before laying the floorboard, it must be taken out of the packaging and placed in the room where it will be laid out. The board must lie for 3 days in order to adapt to the microclimate of the room.

Level humidity the floorboard should not exceed 12%. The humidity in the room should not be lower than 40%, otherwise the board will dry out, and above 80% so that the floor does not swell. The air temperature should be in the range of 17-25 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, the board loses its practical and aesthetic properties.

lags, then it should be borne in mind that the floor will rise by 15 cm. Therefore, in rooms with a low ceiling, you must choose a different installation method.

Stages of laying floorboards

1. Waterproofing.
2. Installing a lagged system.
3. Sound and heat insulation.
4. Installation of floorboards.
5. Sanding the floor lengthwise, across and diagonally of the boards.
6. Coating with paints and varnishes.

Floorboard laying option

Batten fits on a concrete, plywood base and on an old floor.

The concrete base should be checked for humidity... For this, 3 methods have been developed:

1. A polyethylene film with an area of ​​one square meter is glued to the concrete with tape, after a day it is removed and checked for a wet spot. If available, install the floorboard early.
2. A brick is laid on a rubber mat, then proceed as in the first method.
3. Use a special device to determine moisture content.

The first two methods are effective only if the concrete is light. On dark concrete, the wet spot will not be visible.

After determining the moisture content, they are laid on the concrete waterproofing layer. It is recommended to make it from roofing material, plastic wrap or mastic. The film and roofing felt should have a thickness of 2 mm, the layers are overlapped and butted to the wall. After that, the floorboard is laid on logs or plywood.

Plywood for the base, take a thickness of at least 18 mm, moisture resistant. Plywood is cut into sheets 50 cm wide. They are fixed diagonally to the floorboard. Plywood is mounted with screws that are driven into it 3 mm deep. There should be a distance of 10 mm between the plywood and the wall, 2-3 mm between the plywood strips. After laying, the plywood is sanded, cleaned of dust, and only then can to lay a floorboard.

If the floorboard is laid on old the floor, then it is checked for strength, strengthened and cleaned. If some boards have deteriorated, they are replaced with inexpensive lumber. After checking, the old floor is sanded, cleaned of dust and waterproofed on top. New boards are laid perpendicularly or diagonally. To ensure that the new floor is laid in the same direction as the old one, use plywood.

Floorboard installation technology

The floorboards are laid so that they are parallel the wall where the window is. In places of the greatest passability (corridor, vestibule), they are installed perpendicular to the direction of movement.

Boards are laid with displacement(with a break) or without. To lay boards with an offset, you need to cut them exactly at right angles. To facilitate the work, you can make a template according to which the boards will be sawn off.

The first floorboard is placed comb to the wall and nailed to the base with self-tapping screws. The second board is attached to the first using a hammer and a spike accessory. It is important to use self-tapping screws, not nails, the latter can rust, and their caps rise.

Self-tapping screws screw in at an angle of 45 degrees or at right angles. In the latter case, they are sealed with a sealant, which gives additional strength. But the first option is more aesthetic.

Maintenance of wooden flooring

Floors are required sweep and wash with a little water. Contamination can be removed with neutral detergents. To prevent street dirt from getting on the floorboard, rugs are placed in front of the entrance, which hold it back. If the wooden floor is laid in the kitchen, then the board is varnished in several layers, since there is a possibility of liquid getting on the floor. New scratches cover varnish or oil.

As you can see, it is not so difficult to do the installation of the floorboard yourself without the help of specialists. The main thing is to take into account the peculiarities of working with solid wood: do not expose to moisture, properly fix and care for. It is important not to save on new flooring, but to choose quality boards and related materials.

It is quite possible to make a wooden flooring with your own hands if you first study the instructions for carrying out this work. Boardwalk has always been more popular than floors made of other materials, since it differs from them in its natural warmth, environmental friendliness and the ability to create a specific, especially healthy microclimate in residential premises.

Most often, conifers are selected for flooring in the house. Mostly larch is used, which shows special resistance to temperature extremes and high humidity. Due to the natural antiseptic qualities of this tree, destructive fungal formations do not appear on it, which means that the processes of decay and destruction are excluded.

Gender requirements

Wooden flooring must meet certain requirements, without which the floors will not last long and will not be comfortable for residents.

• Effective sound insulation and thermal insulation of premises.
• Reliability and durability of the wooden coating.
• Wear resistance, and therefore - and durability of the floor.
• Moisture resistance and hygiene - cleaning the floor should not be too difficult.
• Aesthetics of wood flooring - it should be a decoration of the room.
• Ease of installation work.

To achieve all of the above qualities of a wooden floor, you need to choose the right material for its construction.

Material selection criteria

In order for the floors to serve for a long time without drying the boards and their deformation, when choosing wood, you need to pay attention to the following material parameters:

• Grade. For a finishing coating, it is better to choose the highest or first grade of the board, and for rough flooring, 2 ÷ 3 grade is usually bought. If the finished floor is covered with paint, then second-rate material is quite suitable for it.

Its quality will directly depend on the grade of wood. Even when purchasing a material of the highest grade, you need to pay attention to the presence of possible defects, such as chips, cracks and knots - they must either be completely absent, or be in a minimum amount.

• It is very important to pay attention to the dryness of the wood. It must have a certain moisture content, otherwise, over the years, gaps will appear between the boards, and the floorboards themselves will begin to deform. The moisture content for finishing boards cannot exceed 12%, and for rough ones - not more than 17%.
• The length of the bars and planks should ideally match the length and width of the room where the floor will be laid.
• The standard floorboards are 120x25mm and 100x25mm thick. This parameter is selected depending on the step of laying the logs on which the boards will be fixed. According to the existing technology, these distances should be selected in accordance with the data given in the table:

When buying any building material, after the necessary calculations have been carried out, it is necessary to add 15% to this amount in reserve - this rule has been checked by experienced builders, therefore it is recommended to follow it.

Wood preparation

Before installing the logs and floorboards, they must be prepared. Usually, flooring material is sold already in a planed form, but if burrs are detected during inspection, then they must be removed using an electric planer.

Their installation is started only after the material has completely dried.

Choice of floor design

Knowing all the requirements that apply to the coating material, you need to decide on the floor design, since for each specific case its own option is suitable, depending on the conditions in which the installation will take place.

There are several basic types of wood floor structures:

• Floors on logs laid on floor beams. In this case, plywood or boards can be used for the finished floor.
• "Floating" construction - boards laid on a concrete base, but not attached to it .
• Covering fixed on logs laid on the ground.

These methods of constructing a wooden floor have become the most popular, as they give freedom of creativity to the master, who can bring his own adjustments to the design. But, one way or another, for each room it is necessary to choose the only option that suits it best.

Floor system on floor beams

• The lags, as a basis for the floor, can be fixed to floor beams, which, in turn, are laid on a columnar or strip foundation. This is permissible if the room where the floor is arranged has a width of no more than 2.5 ÷ 3 m.

• To create an air gap, floor beams are often raised above the ground to a certain height, laying them on top waterproofed foundation surface. They can be rigidly fixed to it or simply stowed securely on top. The second option is chosen in the event that the foundation has not yet had time to shrink, and when it occurs, it will not pull the floor system along with it, which will probably begin to deform from such an impact.

• With a large room width (more than 3 meters), columns can be additionally installed between the walls, which will create rigidity in the floor system. Waterproofing must be installed on all supporting structures under the floor base beams in order for the wooden parts to serve as long as possible.

What should be the thickness of the lag and floor beams? This mainly depends on the free span (the distance between adjacent support points). Usually proceed from the following indicators (see table):

• After the floor beams are installed, you need to fix the logs on them. The distance between them, as already mentioned, is calculated according to the thickness of the selected floorboards.

• Arranging such a "floating" floor structure, the joists, and then the boards should be located at a distance of at least 12 ÷ 15 mm from the walls, that is, be independent from them. A material is laid in the opening between the walls and the floor system, which will not allow cold air to enter the room, will allow the wood to "breathe", and when temperature and humidity changes, it will expand freely.
• When laying logs, consisting of two separate sections, their overlap by 400 ÷ 500 mm should be on the support posts or on the beam. The logs should be aligned to the building level, if necessary, small pieces of wood are placed under the logs to achieve an ideal horizontal.
• After the logs are exposed and fixed, it is recommended to arrange a rough floor, for which low quality boards are quite suitable. To install them, cranial bars measuring 30 × 50 mm are screwed onto the entire length of the lag from below.

• The subfloor boards are not always fixed to the cranial bars, they are usually simply stacked tightly to each other. A vapor barrier film is laid on top of the subfloor, fixing it with brackets to the logs and boards.

• Between the lags, the vapor barrier is tightly packed - it can be mineral wool in mats or rolls, as well as dry backfill from expanded clay or slag.

• On top of the insulation, another layer of vapor barrier film is laid. Separate sheets of it are glued together with tape, and then the film is attached to the lags with staples.

• The top layer of vapor barrier is necessary so that dust and particles of insulation material cannot enter the living quarters. On top of this entire flooring system, floorboards or thick plywood will then be laid.

Prices for various types of timber

Lags fixed to concrete pavement

Often, to create a layer for the floor in apartments, a wooden floor is also arranged on the logs on the concrete base. Here, the whole difficulty lies in leveling the lags on the surface, especially if it is planned to raise the wooden covering a few centimeters above the concrete slab.

If the apartment is located above the first floor, then most often the logs are laid out, leveled, and then fixed to the concrete base with the help of anchors.

In both the first and second versions, the logs are drilled through. To raise the lag above the base, different metal and plastic elements are used. In this case, the photo shows the studs. They allow you to raise and lower the joists from one side or the other, leveling them. The excess section of the hairpin, after bringing the log to the desired height, is cut off with a grinder.

In each of the options, insulation can be laid on the concrete between the logs, which will add thermal insulation to the coating, and also help drown out noise, both from the lower apartment and from the rooms where the logs are installed under the wooden floor. Mineral wool, polystyrene, or can be used as an insulating material.

Flooring on a concrete surface

Sometimes a wooden floor is laid on a concrete floor without the use of logs. Floorboards or plywood are used as coverings. It is advisable to lay a thin insulation material under such a floor - most often foamed polyethylene is used for this, but it is better to choose one that has a foil covering.

Separate sheets of backing material are fastened together with tape to create a solid coating - it will make the floor warmer and drown out noise. If plywood is used for flooring, it must be remembered that a decorative covering must be laid on top of it. Floors made of thick enough boards will look respectable if they are varnished, waxed or high-quality paint.

Floor board installation

Having chosen the boards of the required thickness, it is important to determine the correct direction for laying them on the floor. As many years of experience show, the best option to lay boards is considered to be in the direction of natural light, that is, from the window. Therefore, you need to start planning the laying of the board with marking and securing the lag.

Floorboards have different types of connections:

1. Connection using an insert-insert in the grooves of two boards.

2. Tongue-groove connection with grooved boards.

3. Quarter connection.

The last type of connection is the easiest to install, therefore, floorboards with such an attachment are most often used. In addition, the “quarter” joint creates a single floor with almost invisible gaps between the boards, so it optimally retains heat in the room.

Boards can be fixed to two ways of fastening:

• Nails or self-tapping screws can be driven into the groove located on the side of the board at an angle of about 45 degrees, with the head sinking into the wood. Some craftsmen prefer to do the opposite, driving the screws at an angle into the edge of the thorn.

• In the second version, nails or screws are driven in or screwed into the front plane of the board.

• When starting to install floorboards, it is imperative to retreat from the wall 12 ÷ 15 mm. Later, a strip of insulation is laid in this gap, and is closed with an installed baseboard. It is necessary for the tree to expand with changes in humidity and air temperature.

• The board is fixed to the joists with nails 80 ÷ 120 mm or screws 70 ÷ 100 mm. Hats are driven under zapay”, Later they are sealed with a putty matched to the color of the wood.
• If insufficiently seasoned wood is used, then the laid floor requires a drying period that lasts 6-8 months. During this time, the coating will shrink and shrink, the cracks between the boards will increase, and therefore it will be necessary to carry out the process of re-laying it. In this regard, during the initial laying of the flooring, all the floorboards are not completely nailed to the logs, but only the fifth - seventh board is attached. After the boards have dried, they must be shifted, pressed as tightly as possible to each other and nailed to the logs.

• If boards with a thorn-groove connection are selected, a mallet is used for a tighter connection, with the help of which the thorns are driven through the bar into the grooves. Often for this, craftsmen use special clamps, especially in cases where, due to the light curvature of the boards, the installation is carried out with greasing the grooves and spikes with carpentry glue.
• For a tight connection of the last board, installed against the wall, temporary wooden wedges are used, they are driven in between the wall and the board.
• The gap between the boards should not be wider than 1 mm. If the board is not installed in the groove to the end, then, most likely, a burr or some kind of roughness remains on the canvas, and this flaw must be removed, the spike must be adjusted to the groove.

Find out, as well as consider the causes of the creak and methods of elimination, from our new article.

Video: floorboard flooring with the use of clamps

Floor coverings prices

Floor coverings

Floor surface treatment after final flooring

After the floor has been sorted out and fixed, you may have to loop its surface. This process is carried out in the event that, when the board dries, there is some movement, and the surface becomes uneven.

The starter varnish helps to identify areas that are not smooth enough on the surface of the boards, and therefore, after it dries, it is easier to find roughness and re-sand them.

After sanding, skirting boards are installed, which will well hide the gaps between the wall and the floorboards. If, as a result of this operation, gaps remain between the floor and the plinth, then they are sealed with a putty in the color of the wood.

Now that the floor is prepared in this way, you can proceed to finishing the surface with wax, oil, varnish or paint.

The plank flooring is covered with a finishing compound not only to make it aesthetically pleasing and respectable, but also to protect it, which means maximum long-term operation.

Oil treatment

If the boards have a beautiful pronounced textured pattern, then special oil is often used to cover it. It makes the floors warmer, not as slippery as when covering, and also gives it anti-static properties. The oil penetrates into the structure of the tree and reliably protects it from moisture penetration from the outside, practically repelling it.

Wood covered with oil is less susceptible to various types of damage, and existing flaws become virtually invisible. The oil does not clog the pores of the wood, preserving its naturalness, allowing the material to "breathe", which creates a favorable microclimate in the living space.

Oiled floors must be protected from dust until they are completely absorbed. During operation, such a floor requires special care with special means. It is very important to remember that it is not recommended to place furniture with metal legs on such a surface, as there is a risk of unwanted reactions, as a result of which dark spots may remain on the wood.

Floor coating with oil is recommended in rooms with high humidity - bathroom, terrace and kitchen. Such a coating is also well suited for a hallway or corridor, since boards soaked in such a substance are more resistant to abrasion.

There are flooring compositions that do not consist of pure oil, but with the addition of liquid wax to it, which gives the floors a matte, soft sheen. Applied to the surface of wood and clean oils, they are well absorbed into the surface, economical in application and do not require a long waiting time to dry.

Floor oil can be colorless, or it can have different shades that darken the wood or give it a special - pleasant and warm color.

The oil is applied in two or three steps. It can be rubbed in or applied with a brush, and its excess is immediately erased to avoid the formation of a film on top, which will create an uneven coating.

The oil composition can be applied hot and cold in several layers. The faster the wood absorbs the oil, the more layers will need to be applied. The heated composition penetrates much faster and deeper into the pores of the wood, and such a coating lasts much longer than with a cold application.

Waxing the floor surface

Wax is most often combined with an oil coating. So, sometimes waxing occurs with a composition that consists of natural beeswax and linseed oil. Such a coating protects floor surfaces well from scratches and dirt, as well as from moisture absorption, but will not keep the wood from cracking and intense mechanical stress. The wax coating gives the surface a pleasant matte sheen and golden hue.

The wax is applied to the cleaned floor using a wide roller in several layers. The first one should be very thin in order to be well absorbed into the surface. Next, the floor is sanded, and then it is covered with another layer of the compound and sanded again.

Wax combined with oil is an environmentally friendly covering material and is very useful in children's rooms and adult bedrooms. Wood that has undergone such treatment has the properties of "breathing", so the floors will last a long time and create a favorable microclimate in the room.

Wood floor varnishing

• The varnish can be applied with a brush, roller or trowel at room temperature, moderate humidity and no draft.
• On the cleaned surface, a nitro varnish is applied with the first layer, which will serve as a kind of primer for the finishing layers of the composition. It is applied in a thin layer along the textured pattern of wood. If necessary, the primer can be applied in two coats.
• After the primer has dried, the surface is well sanded with sandpaper. After that, the floor is washed with soapy water, thoroughly wiped and dried.
• After that, they begin to apply the finishing layers. There can be two or three of them, and each of them is dried and sanded.

Applying varnish to floors is a rather complex undertaking that requires careful selection of the composition for a particular wood species. Therefore, if this particular method of processing a wooden floor is chosen, it is better to entrust the work to a specialist who will determine the amount of work and select the necessary materials.

The lacquer coating is quite fragile, which is easily damaged by mechanical stress, therefore it is undesirable to walk on it on thin heels or move furniture. In addition, varnishes are most often produced on chemical bases, which, by clogging the pores of the wood, do not allow it to "breathe".

Painting wood floor

Recently, paint is rarely used to cover a wooden floor, but it still happens, especially in cases where a special style of interior is chosen. In addition, the paint is used in cases where it is necessary to cover the not entirely attractive appearance of wood, since such a coating completely covers the floor surface. For such a finishing treatment, you can choose paints based on different bases: oil, enamel, nitrocellulose, as well as acrylic, water-dispersion and latex.

Water-based paints are preferable for residential premises, as they do not contain solvents and additives harmful to the human body. They are produced in different color shades, so there is always an opportunity to choose the one that is more suitable for a particular interior.

Enamels and other paints based on chemical solvents are also used for living rooms, but after their application, the premises require long-term ventilation, since these vapors can pose a threat to human health.

Before painting the floor with water-based compounds, the boards are covered with a special primer. For the rest of the coating materials, the preparation of the base is required with the help of impregnating compounds, in which drying oil usually acts as the main component.

The paint can be applied in one, two layers or, as a last resort, at three o'clok. It is recommended to choose the "golden mean", as the paint applied with a too thin layer will quickly begin to wear off, and thick, on the contrary, peel off. Each coat of primer or paint must dry well before the next coat can be applied.

It is described in great detail in the corresponding publication of our portal.

So, if you have a basic understanding of working with wood, and you have stocked up the necessary materials and tools, it is quite possible to try to lay the floors from boards or plywood yourself. If you have any questions, you can always ask for clarification and advice to articles that will help solve any problem. And at the end of the article - another interesting video on the technology of laying a wooden floor.

Video: how a wooden floor is prepared and laid

When replacing an old floor covering or when arranging a new floor, the floorboard is the best option, which is practical, affordable and safe to use. Despite the popularity of the floorboard, the installation process for many seems rather complicated. Therefore, we will consider the features of laying the floorboard further.

Manufacturing technology and advantages of floorboards

The floorboard is distinguished by its high operational and technical properties. Based on its attractiveness, it is on a par with more expensive laminate and parquet flooring. In the manufacture of floorboards, the wood is thoroughly dried to a certain point of moisture content in it. Therefore, this material has a long service life.

One of the indisputable advantages of a floorboard is its affordable cost, which makes it so popular. In addition, it has a high thermal insulation capacity and provides good sound insulation.

The floorboard fits perfectly into any type of interior, does not change shape during operation and has an attractive appearance.

The main components of this material are:

• thorns;
• grooves;
• grooved ventilation ducts.

Larch is the most optimal type of wood suitable for the manufacture of floorboards. Due to its strength, durability, it has good performance characteristics.

If we compare the installation of a laminate with the installation of a parquet board, then the second requires less time for installation. At the same time, it is environmentally friendly and harmless, since no foreign impurities are added to it during the manufacturing process.

The floorboard looks like a massive product, which is made from solid trees. If the length and width of the products are compact, then the laying process is quick and easy, since special grooves have been developed in it, which ensure the connection of the boards. The procedure for installing a floorboard on large areas does not take more than two days.

The main indicator of the quality of the floorboard is the material from which it was built. But, almost all types of floorboards have the following advantages:

1. Low coefficient of thermal conductivity and sound conductivity allows you to keep warm for a long period of time and provides comfort for people living in the house.

2. Subject to all the processes of drying wood and the technology of its harvesting, the floorboard has a high coefficient of strength, the duration of its use is twenty years or more.

3. Characterized by the absence of chemicals, harmful components and other impurities, it is excellent for furnishing the home of people with allergies.

4. If we compare the cost of a floorboard with similar materials, then its price is much lower and more affordable.

5. If the wood covering is present in the room, then a healthy microclimate is provided for it, since the tree is able to accumulate moisture in case of its excess in the air, and to give it back in case of lack.

6. Does not require lengthy preparation for installation. Quickly installs and removes. The work requires a standard set of tools.

7. It is unpretentious in care, it is well washed and cleaned.

There are several categories according to which the quality of the floorboard is distinguished:

• A-class;
• B-class;
• C-class;
• Extra class.

They differ in the quality of the wood used in the production process, in the number of knots, notches, cracks, chips, and also in price. Top-class flooring has the lowest cost.

After the work has been done to cut down the tree, it goes into the drying chambers for storage and drying. When the finished products have already been dried, the process of sorting them into classes takes place. Sorting depends on the number of defects that the tree acquires during preliminary processes.

Before installing the floorboard, it is necessary to build a sub-floor base. The main requirements for it are high strength in order to avoid material deformation.

When buying a floorboard, choose options that are made of larch, as they have the highest strength and are practically not inferior to a floor made of solid oak.

Varieties of bases for laying floorboards

Arrangement of a plank floor is arranged over any type of floor or support pillars. There are such types of bases that are suitable for laying floorboards:

• concrete pavement pre-leveled with polymer or concrete screeds;
• a surface made of logs installed on brick supports or any type of coating;
• surface made of moisture-resistant plywood;
• old wood flooring;
• sub-floor made of unnecessary lumber.

The installation of the floorboard is most often the final stage in the arrangement of the room. Before this process, they usually perform the replacement of windows, doors, wall and ceiling decoration. When installing the floorboard, keep in mind that it is very unstable in front of high humidity. Before installing it, measure the moisture content of the subfloor, which should not exceed twelve percent.

At the same time, the air humidity in the room should not be more than sixty percent, and if the humidity is less than forty percent, the boards will dry out and crack.

Considering the construction of a floorboard laid on a concrete base, it should be noted that:

• hollow floor slab;
• technoflora;
• waterproofing;
• screed made of cement-sand mortar;
• directly to the floorboard.

Tip: Before installing the board, remove it from the boxes and place it indoors for at least 24 hours. The material must adapt to the microclimate of the room.

Varieties of rough coatings for laying plank floors:

1. The most common installation scheme for a floorboard is to lay it on logs. Lags are called wooden block boards with a rectangular cross-section. They are fixed on the rough base using mastic or a self-tapping screw. The laying of the lag occurs in the perpendicular direction to the installation of the floorboard.

After installing the lag, the process of their alignment takes place. To do this, chips are substituted under them. In addition, there is a special system of adjustable lags, allowing for mechanical alignment by twisting the required sections.

2. When arranging a floor made of moisture-resistant plywood, it is laid on almost any base, including logs, if necessary, additional strengthening of multilayer structural parts of the floor. The standard set of works for installing a floorboard on such a coating involves its preliminary leveling. The plywood sheets, cut into longitudinal parts, are laid diagonally in relation to the laying of the floorboards. Plywood is fixed with screws or dowels. It is recommended to leave seams for technological purposes when arranging a plywood floor in order to compensate for its expansion and contraction with temperature changes.

Installation of such a floor includes the presence of:

• rough base;
• insulating substrate;
• directly moisture-resistant plywood;
• floor covering;
• boards.

Advice: If the flooring is concrete with a sand-cement screed, then ordinary glue is used to fix the plywood. When choosing an adhesive, make sure that it is suitable for working with both plywood and concrete. This procedure is also suitable for wooden floors.

When the plywood is laid, there is a process of sanding and removing all dirt and dust. Before installing the floorboard, the surface is treated with a primer, and then the boards are fixed. The main floor must also be sanded, covered with varnish and oil.

3. Installation of floorboards on an existing floor involves checking the old floor for defects, for the reliability of fasteners and the strength of the base. If necessary, old worn boards or damaged fasteners must be replaced.

Tip: Place the floorboard on top of the old floor in such a way as to ensure a perpendicular connection.

Experienced builders give recommendations on dismantling the old floor and arranging a concrete screed, since such a floor can last much longer, but if financial capabilities do not allow this, then it is quite possible to install a floorboard on an old wooden floor.

In addition, a lot of attention should be paid to the choice of insulation and waterproofing. These materials must have high quality characteristics. The insulation should be inedible for rodents, moisture resistant and not shrink. Waterproofing should differ in the duration of operation.

If the floor is located in a building on the first floor, then its insulation is mandatory. It is allowed not to insulate the floor of the first floor if there is a basement with heating. For insulation, it is recommended to use basalt or mineral wool, it is distinguished by vapor permeability and good thermal insulation characteristics.

Thermal insulation is laid in the space with honey logs, while its tight fit should be ensured. The vapor-permeable waterproofing is installed on top of the thermal insulation. Please note that a space of up to four centimeters thick must be left between the subfloor and these layers to allow natural ventilation of the floor. Otherwise, mold and mildew will form on the floor, leading to premature deterioration.

To protect the multilayer structure from moisture coming from below, it is recommended to use waterproofing membranes with a high vapor permeability. If the fumes circulate freely in the underground space, the wood will last much longer.

The best is considered to be a floorboard made of Siberian larch or oak. These types of trees are resistant to ultraviolet light, moisture and temperature extremes. In a room in which people are inconsistent and there are small loads, for example, in a nursery or bedroom, a floorboard made of aspen or alder wood is used. Quite rarely, floorboards are used, the basis of which is pine or fir. They are more suitable when building subfloors or rolls.

The shape of the floorboard depends on the personal preferences of the owners of the premises. Based on the strength, the best option is to use a forty millimeter board. Too thick boards can deform over time, since moisture remains in them due to the large thickness during the drying process.

The choice of floorboards belonging to a certain grade is influenced by the purpose of the room, the area of ​​installation, the subsequent finishing and the financial capabilities of the owners. The premium flooring has a flat surface and a beautiful, clear pattern. Therefore, after installation, such a floor is opened with varnish. Variants of the first or second grade have a small amount of knots, which also look beautiful without painting. If you plan to paint the floor later, then definitely choose a floorboard of the third or fourth grade.

When laying a floorboard, in most cases only tongue-and-groove materials are used, which are easy to work with and easy to install. Straight boards after a certain period of time are deformed and gaps appear in them.

Laying floors from grooved boards

A tongue-and-groove board is a standard board construction with grooves that snap into place during installation. Thus, it turns out to achieve a better fixation and a strong connection.

When choosing the direction of laying the floor, you should focus on the luminous flux. The boards are laid parallel to it. If you plan to install a floor in a vestibule or in a corridor room, then you should proceed from the vector of movement along which the floor is installed.

There are two ways to lay the boards:

• with offset elements;
• without shifting elements.

When floorboards are laid, a perfect undercut of the boards is required. Lack of experience in this matter will not help to achieve perfectly even right angles, therefore, in this case, it is better to trust a specialist. When laying boards in this way, it is recommended to purchase or make a template version, according to which the undercut will be made. At the edges of the room, it is also required to maintain a certain indentation. To ensure longitudinal movements, it is necessary to have an interval between the board and the wall, the size of which is from 0.5 to 2 cm. At the end of the installation, the slab is attached.

For a clearer understanding of the installation process of a grooved floorboard, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a short instruction:

1. The presence of a fastener or a ledge on the boards allows you to connect them to each other. But, when laying the first grooved board, the protrusion should be located exactly near the wall. This setting will facilitate the bonding of subsequent boards.

2. The connection of the second board with the first one occurs with the help of a groove-tenon contact. It is not recommended to use nails during this procedure, as they are susceptible to corrosion, which will provoke frequent cleaning of the floor, there may be a risk of their heads coming out, leading to injury.

3. Use self-tapping screws with an optimal diameter of four millimeters and a length of up to seven centimeters as a retainer.

4. There are two ways to fix the boards:

• with the presence of a screw tilt of forty-five degrees;
• without tilting - while all the caps of the self-tapping screws are sealed with a sealant.

The first option is aesthetically pleasing, and the second is reliable.

5. Fastening of the extreme parts of the boards located near the walls is carried out exclusively with self-tapping screws.

Finally, the floor is sanded. This will require sandpaper or a sander. In the presence of large irregularities, it is required to carry out a scraping. Further, the surface is opened with varnish, and painted during production.

Floor laying parquet board: technology and features

For the manufacture of parquet boards, wood is used. There are several types of parquet boards:

• massive - has three layers, for the first one uses solid hardwood, for the second - hard coniferous wood, and for the third softwood;
• extra-board - the first layer is also hard, but for the manufacture of the second and third, waste components or soft wood are used.

To stylize the parquet for a woody texture, another top layer is glued onto it. In relation to the thickness, the parquet can be from 7 mm to 2.5 cm. The quality of sound and heat insulation, as well as the ability to withstand certain loads, depends on the thickness of the parquet board.

When laying boards up to two centimeters thick, a flat concrete base is required. If the thickness exceeds this limit, the parquet board is laid on the joists.

When the parquet board has already been purchased, it is necessary to unpack it and leave it for a day in the room where it will be installed. Before installing it, it is necessary to complete all repair work, in particular the wall decoration. Since it will adjoin them tightly.

If the parquet board is installed on an old wooden base. It is recommended to check it for unsuitable boards and replace them. If there are large gaps, it is recommended to use PVA glue to fill them. This is followed by the process of scraping the floor.

If the parquet board is installed on a concrete base, make sure that it is even and that there are no large differences. The concrete surface should not be wet, in order to check it for the presence of moisture, you should use plastic wrap, which covers the floor for a day. If, after removing the film, there is no condensation, feel free to start laying the parquet, but before that, apply a primer to the concrete base.

Conditions for installing a parquet board:

• the room temperature is about +17 degrees;
• air humidity from 45 to 60%.

If these parameters are observed, the coating will last longer.

There are two ways to install parquet boards up to 2 cm thick:

1. Floating - first, a polyethylene film is installed, with an overlap of 18 cm, tape is used to fix them, then foamed polyethylene or cork backing is installed, metallized cattle is used to glue the joints, then the parquet board is installed.

The parquet board is installed perpendicular to the window. The first board is laid with a tenon base to the wall, which is pre-cut for a tighter fit of the boards. The spacing between the wall and the board depends on the total length of the room. For a length of one meter, a one and a half centimeter gap is required. To fix the board against the wall, you need to install special pegs.

2. Adhesive - suitable for spacious, large rooms. This method involves installing moisture-resistant plywood on a rough base, on the surface of which glue is applied, and then a parquet board is installed.

Before starting the installation, the materials must be acclimatized. This means that they have to get used to the microclimate in which they will be for many years. This is done in order to prevent the appearance of irregularities, gaps that appear over time.

Usually the acclimatization period lasts at least three days. That is, if the board will be laid indoors, then it must first lie there for at least three days.

An important point is the moisture level of the material. In our case, it is a floorboard. It should vary in the range from 6 to 10%. If the humidity is 12% or more, then this is no good. After some time, the floor may be deformed. In order for it to turn out to be of high quality, the choice of a suitable material will have to be taken seriously.

Floorboards can be laid on any base, but each of them has its own characteristics. The bases are as follows: old wooden floor, plywood, various wooden structures, concrete, logs.

It is clear that they begin to lay the boards at the very end. Before that, you need to finally finish with the supporting structures, windows, doors, properly align the walls and, of course, the screed. The moisture content of the walls should not exceed 12%. And the air can vary from 40 to 60%. At the construction site, these parameters are measured by instruments. But what to do at home? How to determine the correct humidity level?

We glue a 1x1 m piece of polyethylene with tape or adhesive tape to the concrete screed. Remove this piece after 24 hours. If a damp spot is visible at this place, it means that the screed is not yet dry. If you don't want to mess around and stick cellophane with tape, there is a more simplified option. Cover the screed with a rubber mat.

Remove the mat after 24 hours. If this place is darker than the rest of the concrete, then the humidity is high. But this method works when using light colored concrete. On a dark spot, the damp spot is almost imperceptible, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to correctly determine the humidity.

When the screed has reached the desired moisture level, it's time to start arranging the flooring. This is the next step. You will immediately need to make a moisture barrier, it will separate all kinds of materials, in this particular case, concrete from wood. It is done like this: the primer is applied with a roller. Or polyethylene is applied to the concrete base, so that there are no gaps, overlapping.

In the technologies used now, a film of 3 mm thick is used, it is laid with an overlap (not less than 5 cm). This option is considered the most optimal.

When installing the base, the following options are used:

1. Plywood base.

Bars 50x70 mm, or 55x100 mm actually are logs. When laying, the lags are used exactly the same, that is, both in length, and in width, and in thickness.

Their moisture level should be less than or equal to 12%. They are fastened to concrete with screws. And the screws should be at the same distance from each other. The logs are located perpendicular to the boards, which, in turn, will subsequently be laid on them. The distance between them is 50 cm, and 30 cm along the axis.

The screws must be sunk into the surface by about 3 mm. Lags are also recommended to be glued to the base with glue, bitumen mastic. It is better to prefer this option if there is a risk of injuring the communications hidden inside. It is important to choose a mastic suitable for the one used to create the moisture barrier.

The lags should be completely flat. They achieve such a result using a banal plane, or by placing wood chips in those places, the level of which is lower. Which method to choose - everyone decides individually. The cavities that appear are usually filled with some kind of insulation. This creates additional insulation. At the end, lay a film that protects against moisture. And now you can lay the boards.

Plywood as a base

Such a base is made of moisture-resistant plywood, the thickness must be greater than or equal to 18 mm. Large sheets (standard 1220x2440 mm) are cut into strips, their width should be about 40-60 mm, usually along the smaller side. This moment does not matter if the plywood sheet is square 1.5 x 1.5 m.

The strips are placed diagonally in relation to the future floor, fixed with screws, dowels. You will need an average of 15 pieces per square meter. Until the laying of the floorboard has begun, it is advisable to grind the plywood base with a sander. Then the surfaces must be cleaned of dust.

Old floor as a base

This option can only be used if the existing "old" floor can withstand the loads. And the new floor is being made to improve the aesthetic appearance. If there are any doubts about the reliability, then it is better to get rid of the old floor and do it all over again.

And only with 100% certainty in the existing flooring can a new floor be laid on top of the old one. Start by leveling and then sanding the existing coating. Moisture and thermal insulation will be a must. The base is covered with plastic wrap. It is also noteworthy that the new floor cannot be laid in the same direction as the old one without special preparation. This preparation consists of planking plywood as a base. Plywood sheets are used with a thickness of at least 12 mm. They need to be sanded well.

Massive boards are laid on a prepared base and fixed with self-tapping screws (pitch 25-30 cm). It is advisable to make holes for self-tapping screws in advance.

If the board lies directly on the base, it can be attached with glue specially designed for parquet. But this option should not act as the only mount. This, of course, will improve the hitch, but you still have to add self-tapping screws.

The floorboards dock with each other both along and across. To make the docking tighter, wedges are sometimes used. When attaching an elite coating, self-tapping screws are driven inward by 1 cm, and the hole is closed with special corks made of wood. The cork must be of the same wood species as the covering. This will give the plank floor an aesthetic appearance.

Grinding

The final step is sanding the plank floor. The purpose of this process is to correct installation defects. In addition, sanding makes it possible to achieve the perfect cleanliness of each of the floorboards. Before proceeding to this stage, you need to carefully inspect and check everything. All self-tapping screws must be sunk into the wood surface, otherwise you risk damaging the sander. The grinding process itself does not take much time.

The result is an absolutely even coating without any defects. Joints and irregularities should not be. After that, the surface is treated with a protective compound. This measure is urgently needed. When using a transparent or translucent toning mixture, which are offered on the market today, you can preserve the natural appearance of the array. This is a kind of decoration.

With the help of an antiseptic, the surface will be protected from the effects of fungus and mold. As an alternative, use paint, varnish. These coatings protect the floor from external aggressive factors. But the varnished coating needs constant care and systematic renewal. In addition to the above, oil solutions based on resins and olive oil are used.

And only after that the laying of the floor from the boards is completed. All in all, nothing complicated. The work does not take much time. The main thing is to follow the instructions. This is the only way to get a solid and durable floor. Natural materials will always decorate any room and will serve "faithfully".

Few would argue that the floors in the house should be distinguished not only by beauty, but also by environmental friendliness, and for this you need to be able to properly lay the floorboard. Such material is becoming more and more popular, and there is nothing strange in this - the floorboard has a long service life, attractive appearance, ease of maintenance, resistance to moisture and temperature extremes. You can lay a floorboard with high quality with your own hands, if you follow certain rules, this is also available to beginners.

The floorboard can be laid in two versions: on wooden logs, and you can also glue it (instead of glue, you can use self-tapping screws) to a surface that has been prepared in advance. To do this, you will need the following tools:

1. Belt sander.
2. Bolts, screws and screws.
3. Screwdriver.
4. Hammer.
5. Roulette.
6. Hacksaw.

How to lay the floorboard on the joists?

If the house has wooden interfloor ceilings or high ceilings, then this method is recommended. But it should be borne in mind that it is permissible to use a floorboard, the thickness of which is at least 30 mm.

1. When laying on the ground floor of a building, a waterproofing layer must be laid. You can lay roofing material, you need to overlap the walls and solder the joints.
2. Now you need to start installing the lag, for this you can use wooden beams, the cross-section of which should be 50-70 mm, they must be treated with an antiseptic. As for the step distance between the lags, it should be approximately 65-70 cm, if the width of the floorboard is not more than 35 mm.
3. Laying a soundproofing layer is also an important point; for this you can use expanded clay, mineral wool. In order for the effect to be great, you can apply a substrate that is made of padding polyester, laminate or glassine.
4. Laying the floorboards should be done forward with a comb towards the master. The first board is fastened with self-tapping screws where there will be a cover with a plinth, and the remaining fasteners are screwed at an angle into the crest of the board. If the boards are short, then they are located on the logs.
5. Now it was the turn of sanding and varnishing the floor. The floorboard is sanded in 3 directions. After sanding is finished, the pile should be raised on the wood. As for the primer, 3 coats should be applied, but each should be sanded. It is best to use fine-grained sandpaper for this.
6. The floorboard must be coated with a varnish that is highly durable. It is necessary to apply at least 2 layers.

How is glue installation carried out?

For this, you can use only those boards that are perfectly smooth. They should be fastened with self-tapping screws, and the holes remaining after the fastening should be closed with special plugs. This method is preferable to use where the ceilings are not very high.

In order for such work to be carried out at the highest level, you need to choose a suitable glue. If the strips are short (no more than 50 cm), then any glue can be used. Dispersion glue is not suitable for beech boards and exotic woods.

If the boards are long, it is recommended to use a glue that has a two-component epoxy-polyurethane composition that contains synthetic resins.

Whatever glue is used, it must be strong and ductile.

It is permissible to lay the boards on the existing floor, if it has the necessary stability, first of all, the floor is sanded with a grinder. It is permissible to use a special moisture-proof film, which is made of foamed polyethylene. It is used in cases where the moisture-resistant and heat-insulating qualities of the floor are insufficient. And you can also first cover the floor with plywood, the sheets of which should not exceed a thickness of 12 mm, it must be sanded very carefully.

If the boards are laid on a concrete base, then the waterproofing layer must be taken care of. For this, it is permissible to use a primer mastic or foamed polyethylene, the mastic should be applied with a roller. It happens that the mastic is characterized by increased density, then you need to use a solvent. If there is a plywood base, then you must opt ​​for plywood that has a thickness of at least 18 mm. Plywood sheets must be fixed to concrete with screws or dowels, the sheets are laid diagonally, after which they are sanded with a belt sander.

Features of laying floorboards

Before the installation is done, the boards should be removed from the packaging and left for some time where the working process will take place. It is necessary that the boards lie there for at least 10-14 days. Thus, there is no need to fear that the floor will be deformed.

Such boards should be attached to the base of the floor with self-tapping screws, their caps should be buried in the grooves by a couple of millimeters. As for the holes for the fasteners, they should be taken care of in advance. It should be borne in mind that even if the floorboard is laid on a flat base, there is no moisture-proof film and parquet glue is used, then reinforcement with self-tapping screws is still necessary. The boards must adhere to each other with maximum density, for this you need to use wedges , a gap of 10 mm must be left between them and the walls.